Before you book
What to do if a beauty or aesthetic treatment goes wrong
Deal with the immediate medical situation first — some filler complications are genuine emergencies. Once you are safe, you have real consumer rights: a service must be performed with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which entitles you to a repeat performance or a price reduction where it was not.
Last reviewed · How we research and check this
Medical first
Contact the practitioner — a competent one has an aftercare route and, for dermal filler, access to dissolving agent. If you cannot reach them, or the reaction is severe, seek medical help immediately.
Treat as urgent: sudden blanching or whitening of the skin, severe or escalating pain, any change in vision after a filler treatment, or signs of spreading infection. These need same-day medical attention, not a message and a wait.
This page is not medical advice. If you are worried about symptoms, contact NHS 111 or your GP, or attend A&E if it is severe.
Your consumer rights
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Where it is not, you are entitled to a repeat performance, or a price reduction if a repeat is impossible or impractical — which is usually the case with a treatment you would not want repeated by the same person.
Misleading claims about qualifications, results or credentials are separately unlawful under consumer protection law, now consolidated in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 and enforced by trading standards.
Practical steps
- Photograph everything, dated, from the first day.
- Keep messages, the booking confirmation and any consent form.
- Ask in writing what product was used, including brand and batch number.
- Complain to the practitioner in writing and keep the reply.
- Report to your local council's environmental health team where hygiene is involved, and to trading standards where claims were misleading.
- If they are on a voluntary register, that register will have a complaints process.
Common questions
Can I get a refund for a botched beauty treatment?
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a service must be performed with reasonable care and skill. If it was not, you are entitled to a repeat performance or, where that is impractical, a price reduction — which can be up to the full amount depending on the circumstances.
Who do I report a beauty practitioner to in the UK?
There is no single regulator, because most beauty treatments are not licensed. Report hygiene and premises concerns to the local council's environmental health team, and misleading claims to trading standards. If the practitioner is a registered healthcare professional, their professional regulator also takes complaints.
What should I do immediately after a bad filler reaction?
Contact the practitioner straight away — for filler, dissolving agent may be needed quickly. If you cannot reach them, or you have sudden blanching, severe pain or any vision change, seek medical help immediately rather than waiting for a reply.
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